Call it Irvine, call it UC Irvine, call it whatever you like; the largest of Irvine's three weekly farmers' markets is the county's best. Parking can be a challenge, but outlying lots in the same center provide relief for those in the know. The Irvine Certified Farmers' Market is a magnet for high-quality produce from the Imperial Valley and Baja, from Temecula and the southern San Joaquin, not to mention Orange's County's remaining farms. In the past few years, the market has concentrated on adding more meats and locally produced artisanal products. Ask John Sweredoski how to cook the obscure vegetables he grows on urban lots in Bell, or sample French baking from Picket Lane. Those figs from Tenerelli Farms in Littlerock will go great with honey chèvre from Soledad Goats in Mojave and just a drizzle of California olive oil from Petrou Foods. Support the students at Cal Poly Pomona by buying oranges or avocados, buy some of Glendale's beloved Schreiner's sausage, or head over to Tilden Farms in summer for enormous Keitt mangoes from Coachella. Don't miss fresh pasta from Mangi Con Amore and grass-fed beef from Frank Fitzpatrick of 5 Bar Beef in Silverado Canyon—if you can pass by the Australian-accented pitchman hawking “IIIIIIIII-talian butter rum cake!” from Dolce Monachelli's. Whatever you do, don't eat breakfast—you'll want room for the generous samples.
